Photograph — jetmag.com

In Nigeria, the rhetoric surrounding rape is almost comical and devastating. Apart from the trauma of being raped, victims of rape are also forced to believe the lie that they are to blame. If they muster the courage to speak up (which doesn’t happen often), they are asked questions like “What were you wearing?” or “What were you looking for there?” This further fosters the already poisonous narrative of shame taught to rape victims.

Between 2012-2013, the Lagos Police Force recorded 678 cases of rape, but in Lagos, there is only one rape relief centre. This shows the laxity of Nigerians regarding the reality of rape.  This year, a number of lawyers saw the deficit of rape centres and begun advocating for more rape crisis centres in the country. Abuja-based lawyers, Chinelo Oputa and Oluwaseye Odediran spoke about the rape culture in Nigeria and stated that more rape centres in the country will help to tackle the stigma and silence surrounding the act and give victims a place of comfort.

However, a rape centre needs to serve a greater purpose than simply being a building where victims who are raped tell their stories and not much is done about it. The emotional trauma caused by sexual assault can be severe and long-lasting. Victims often feel disconnected from people, angry or depressed and so on. Some of these victims, if not all, need adequate counselling and societal reintegration to continue their normal lives without being hindered by this unfortunate incidence. These victims need to be reintegrated into the society, they need the help of doctors and physiologists. They also need safe houses to guide them from their assaulters and to give them shelter in their vulnerable states. And all of this does not rule out the dire need for trained rape responders in order to create a safe place for rape victims and curate evidence to apprehend rape offenders in order to prosecute them.

Therefore in light of the above-mentioned challenges, Women at Risk International Foundation, also known as WARIF, a non-profit organisation incorporated by Dr Kemi DaSilvaIbru, is set to change the narrative around rape in Nigeria by providing the right response to the inexistence of effective rape relief centres.

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Dr. Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, Founder, WARIF

This foundation was established to raise awareness and advocate against sexual violence which is increasing at a worrying and rapid rate in Nigeria.

“It is our primary social responsibility to ensure that all young girls and women live in a society free of rape and sexual violence. The opening of WARIF Centre by Women at Risk International Foundation is the first of many initiatives, that will be set up by the foundation and the first step on its journey towards achieving this goal.” – Dr. Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, Founder, WARIF

WARIF has understood the need to provide a foundation where awareness against rape is not just preached but also a centre for sexual assault referral is created. The centre which has strong collaborative links with both the Lagos State Government and other local & international non-government organisations and related agencies provides shelters/halfway homes, and legal aid and vocational skills centres which will create an efficient system of referral that is made available and can be utilised by those in need of these services.

“I am pleased to be collaborating on this global initiative. It is important that the International Community come together to not only address gender-based violence but also create resources and tools to enable self-determination and freedom for all. The opening of  Women at Risk International Foundation does just that, it is a game changer for being able to educate and access resources for sexual assault survivors in a timely manner.” – Indira Henard, Washington DC Rape Crisis Centre

Women and girls who have gone through harrowing problems of gender-based violence will find a safe haven in the WARIF centre which will provide them with medical care, social support, and also promote their well-being by empowering them.

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